Pelosi blasted for degrading employee bonuses as ‘crumbs’ (video)

While a $1,000 bonus may seem like “crumbs” to the very wealthy, many hardworking Americans would welcome the sum. Not House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D.- Calif.), however, who said on Thursday that the wage increases and bonuses credited to the newly passed tax reform bill were “insignificant,” labeling them “crumbs.”

The sweeping legislation, which included a corporate tax rate cut – from 35 to 21 percent – has created a massive response from companies across the United States. A growing list, maintained and published by Americans For Tax Reform, indicates that 2-million Americans have seen a bonus and/or raise as a direct result of the reform, with over 100 companies crediting the new law as the reason they are giving them to their employees. Bonuses have ranged from $200 to more than $2,000, with many companies offering a $1,000 bonus to employees.

Speaking during her weekly press briefing Thursday, Pelosi continued to slam the recently passed tax reform bill, oblivious to what those “crumbs” will do for the families who receive them.

“A number of companies are attributing the tax bill for being able to give higher wages to their employees as well as being able to give a number of bonuses to their employees. How do you respond to that?” a reporter asked Pelosi.

Pelosi, who appeared to be talking about AT&T when she responded, downplayed the bonuses. According to the California Senator, “One of the bonuses” were already part of a union contract, and they don’t matter, considering AT&T announced they would be laying off 1,500 people unless they reduced their hours to 32 per week.

“In terms of the bonus that corporate America received versus the crumbs that they are giving workers to kind of put the schmooze on is so pathetic. It’s so pathetic,” Pelosi said. “I would hope that with their big advantage of bringing money home at a very low rate that they would invest in infrastructure and things, but our experience has been that they will do dividends, do stock buybacks, and things like that.”

As The Washington Free Beacon pointed out, Pelosi’s theatrics when it comes to the Republican lead tax reform bill are not new. She called it the worst legislation in the history of Congress, and “expressed dramatic concern” about the tax bill in the past, calling it “Armageddon.”

“The debate on health care is life, death. This is Armageddon,” Pelosi said during a press briefing last month. “This is a very big deal, because you know why? There’s really a very hard way to come back from this.”

As some in the public have pointed out, Pelosi is a multi-millionaire who may not see the advantages of a $1,000 bonus, due to her own personal lifestyle.

$1000 is a year supply of cereal & milk for a single woman with two children.

Crumbs @NancyPelosi? Way to be out of touch with the middle class. Chuck is going to be so pissed a you. He’s been running the “we’re looking out for middle America” play for the last two weeks. Shame.